Hermann Hesse's classic novel has delighted, inspired, and influenced generations of readers, writers, and thinkers. In this story of a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege to seek spiritual fulfillment. Hesse synthesizes disparate philosophies - Eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism - into a unique vision of life as expressed through one man's search for true meaning. Still one of the most beautiful, uplifting books ever written. "We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps"